Gaming to Re-engage Boys in Learning
http://www.ted.com/talks/ali_carr_chellman_gaming_to_re_engage_boys_in_learning.html
Some pretty general, but interesting, information and ideas. Good example of how to present data at the start of the talk...
I'll be curious to see what our elementary teachers in particular think about some of her ideas.
Math Class Needs a Makeover
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/dan_meyer_math_curriculum_makeover.html
As someone who has actively avoided math her entire life and is convinced that if 4 math credits were required in the mid-eighties to graduate high school, she'd be the oldest high school junior in the history of public education... this guy made me want to know more about math.
So, discuss... how do the ideas presented by these people intersect with YOUR view of teaching and learning?
I totally agree with Ali! At my elementary school we do not have even one male classroom teacher. My son was classic: his first grade teacher told me he had ADD (funny how is nurturing and tuned in kindergarten teacher never saw this…), then he flourished in 2-6th grades because he had teachers (four women and one man) who understood boys and created ACTIVE learning environments. My son was totally engaged in video gaming, loved World of Warcraft (WOW) and could learn all the “cheat codes” to succeed at gaming because he was motivated to do so. I think intelligent and high quality video games are a great way to engage boys in school: I used PLATO, educational software that used the PlayStation 2 (PS2), and only a few functions of the “joystick” worked and even I, who never played a videogame in my life, realized how “lame” this was for my students who were lagging academically but were PS2 masters. We need a budget comparable to WOW and we need to let kids evaluate programs before we buy them. I have to smile: my mother taught for nearly 40 years, retiring in 1975, and she used to say, “School is just not for boys.” She tried to make it more “boy friendly” by letting restless kids (almost always boys) go out and “run the country mile” (an area outside her classroom) and made sure she changed activities frequently. She was also a reading specialist and she used to say many of the reading difficulties boys encountered could be avoided if we just waited until they were eight years old to teach them to read. Also, teachers—have a sense of humor about the things kids, especially boys, do—they are funny and fun!
ReplyDeleteIts easy to see how boys learn by gaming. In my room if I am losing the boys attention I simply dangle a brain pop game, shazam snap spelling game, or a 'mystery game' in front of them at the end of the lesson and I have their full attention. I use educational games as a reward consistently in my classroom for just about each subject area.
ReplyDeleteThis was so interesting to me because I not only teach a room of more males than females but also because I am raising two males. I believe that we have witnessed this change for quite some time but wasn't sure how to approach teaching to their strengths. In our district we have gender specific classrooms and this year it was added to our first grade. My son was in an all boy classroom last year for 3rd grade and then the teachers looped up and took along all of the boys for 4th grade. My son absolutely loves it and I pray that they loop up to 5th grade (now that would be an action research project). They have read research on gender specific, brain research and how males learn best and incorporated into their learning environment. My son is thriving in this learning environment and I am anxious to see test results from this year and comparing to their first year together.
ReplyDeleteBoy, did Ali really put it into perspective. I've been arguing for the last few years about how we are expecting young boys and girls to learn beyond their developmental stages. Does anyone remember Piaget? Out kindergarten students have had their recesses, snack time, and nap time taken away. They are expected to learn the same concepts that used to be required in second grade. What's worse is that they are not given the opportunity for communication, problem solving, and creativity....they very skills that the business world wants. So really we THINK we are pushing them to a higher level, but really we are skipping integral develomental stages. Learning through play has been proven as essential to development. This has been researched over and over again. I know several kindergarten teachers (really excellent teachers) who retired early because they said they just couldn't stand it any more.
ReplyDeleteMy view is to help people become lifelong learners. I enjoy learning and practicing new tools to help people become successful in their careers or life. I'm always ready to try new things, so some math videos used to motivate students into learning more math concepts = AWESOME!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I watched both of those videos. It really showed me a perspective for teaching math and getting my boys engaged. I think I will share them with my staff!
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